By Joe Coopersmith

BLUE JACKETS TEAM NOTES

• CBJ have won a season-high five-straight home games and have recorded wins in five consecutive home contests for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign (6-straight from Jan. 14-Feb. 7, 2020).
• The club has collected points in 11 of the past 12 home contests (9-1-2) as well as 16 of the last 18 played at Nationwide Arena (13-2-3) following the OT win.
• The Jackets split the 2024-25 season series against the Kings with a 1-1-0 record.  The Jackets have collected points in six-straight home games in the series (4-0-2) and in eight of last nine at Nationwide Arena (5-1-3) after tonight’s win.
• CBJ killed off the lone Kings power play attempt tonight and have not given up a power play goal in seven consecutive games against the club (13-of-13).
• Tonight marked the fifth-straight game played at Nationwide Arena in the series to go past regulation (3-2 CBJ).
• Columbus recorded the first goal tonight and has scored first in four consecutive games, 11 of the last 13 games and for the 32^nd time (20-8-4) this season.
• The club has recorded 165 goals (not including SO goals) through 50 games this season.  It’s the second-most goals scored in 50 contests of a campaign in franchise history, two shy of the 167 scored in the 2016-17 season.
• Columbus has scored goals in 103-of-the-150 periods played in regulation this year after scoring in the first and third periods tonight.
• CBJ blueliners have tallied 11-39-50 in the last 18 games and 32-93-125 this season after posting 2-2-4 tonight.
• Tonight’s attendance was a sellout crowd of 18,919.

BLUE JACKETS PLAYER NOTES

• C Luca Del Bel Belluz (2-5-7, 9 GP) picked up an assist in his third-straight game tonight (1-2-3) and surpassed Jakub Voracek (3-4-7) and Dmitri Voronkov (2-5-7) for the second-most points by a Blue Jackets player through their first 10 career NHL games, trailing only D Zach Werenski (2-8-10).
• D Dante Fabbro (4-8-12, 40 GP) scored his first since Dec. 1 at Chicago, and has 1-1-2 in his past three games played.
• LW Kent Johnson (14-17-31, 36 GP) registered an assist tonight and has tallied points in four-straight games (2-3-5) for his fourth point streak of four or more games this season.
• RW Kirill Marchenko (20-33-53, 50 GP) scored his 20^th goal of the season with the OT winner, becoming the first player in club history with 20 or more goals in three-straight campaigns to begin their NHL career.  He’s also the seventh Jacket with at least three 20-goal seasons (Rick Nash, 8; Cam Atkinson, 6; Boone Jenner, 4; RJ Umberger, 4; Oliver Bjorkstrand, 3; David Vyborny, 3).  He has collected 4-7-11 in the past 11 games played after scoring his first overtime goal and second game-winning goal of the campaign tonight.  He has notched 4-0-4 in six career contests against Los Angeles, with goals in each of his three career games played at Nationwide Arena (3-0-3).
• G Elvis Merzlikins (18-11-3) tallied his 86th win as a member of the Blue Jackets and moved within one of tying Joonas Korpisalo (87) for the third-most in franchise history (Sergei Bobrovsky, 213; Steve Mason, 96).  The netminder is 9-2-1 in his last 12 starts since Dec. 19 and 6-1-0 since Jan. 4 with a 2.26 GAA and .917 SV% (177-of-193) following tonight’s game.
• D Ivan Provorov (3-18-21, 50 GP) assisted on Marchenko’s overtime winner and sits three assists shy of 200 for his NHL career (73-197-270, 664 GP).  He has tallied 3-6-9 in 16 career contests against the Kings and posted 1-1-2 in the 2024-25 series.  He has also collected 0-5-5 in eight career games vs. the club on home ice.
• D Damon Severson (6-14-20, 47 GP) picked up his 14^th assist of the season tonight and has now posted 0-7-7 in 18 career games against the Kings, including assists in three of past four contests at home (0-4-4).
• D Zach Werenski (16-38-54, 50 GP) has posted 5-10-15 in his last 13 games this season and 5-17-22 in the last 16 played after opening the scoring tonight.  He extended his franchise record home points streak to 19-straight games (13-23-36), tying John Van Boxmeer (19 GP in 1981-82) for the fifth-longest by a defenseman in NHL history.  The list is topped by Bobby Orr (25 GP in 1974-75), Paul Coffey (23 GP in 1985-86), Phil Housley (22 GP in 1991-92) and Orr (21 GP in 1970-71).  Werenski has now collected 3-4-7 in 14 career games against the Kings with 2-2-4 in 7 career outings at Nationwide Arena.

BLUE JACKETS POST-GAME AUDIO INTERVIEWS

HC Dean Evason | D Dante Fabbro | F Kirill Marchenko | G Elvis Merzlikins

SHARKS POST-GAME AUDIO INTERVIEWS

HC Jim Hiller | F Quinton Byfield | F Phillip Danault

BLUE JACKETS UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Sunday, Jan. 26               No Practice

Monday, Jan. 27              No Practice

Tuesday, Jan. 28             10:30am practice (OhioHealth Ice Haus)

Wednesday, Jan. 29      10:30am practice (OhioHealth Ice Haus)

COURTESY BLUE JACKETS COMMUNICATIONS